Weave Review

Apple answered the prayers of task-killing users everywhere by adding Reminders to iOS, but let’s face it: Cupertino’s app is at best a bare-bones solution for managing to-do lists. That’s why TurboTax publisher Intuit is looking to check off a few of Reminders’ weaknesses with its latest app, Weave.

Weave is a free app for the iPhone aimed at organizing tasks ahead of you, while also offering a peek at how much time and money is being spent on them. Intuit has designed Weave to be easy to use and equally beneficial for home or business use. The app features a more attractive UI than Reminders, echoing the look and feel of mobile Facebook with key views and settings tucked behind a sliding panel. It also supports the iPhone 5, so users will find themselves scrolling a bit less through large task lists.

By default, the app greets you with a “Good morning!” notification each day, prompting you to “knock off a few” to-dos. Users can control the time and days this particular alert nags you, but individual alerts are pushed only for tasks set up with a specific deadline. As each task gets completed, Weave inquires as to how long it took to accomplish (handy for time tracking) and whether you made or spent money while doing it. While these optional prompts can be ignored, such data can be helpful for seeing at a glance where time and money is going down the road.

Weave can’t quite do it all. The app lacks the location-based skills of Reminders, nor can it handle recurring tasks, making it essentially useless for keeping track of household bills, taking out the trash, or remembering when to take your medication -- unless you don’t mind entering them over and over again.

The bottom line. Weave helped me navigate through a busy week piled high with tasks from multiple projects, and the price is certainly right. While it doesn’t offer the most comprehensive list of to-do features on the App Store, Intuit has checked off the most important ones and done it with style.